To be Loved
by KDMOSP
Summary: Hotch gets the call he has been waiting for for six long months, his agent, his JJ, has been found alive.
1. Chapter 1

Here is my A/Ns for this story:

I am well aware that there are plenty of human trafficking stories on right now, espeicaly centering around JJ. I made this decision to write this story anyway and for the following reasons.

I survived it.

There is no other reason to write this story then to help me recover and move forward with my life. I have found that writing and giving control to even a fictional character has helped me tremendously.

That is why I am always so incredibly thankful for every single review I get.

Some of the events that happen in this story take place from what I went through. Others are stuff I just write, I will not differentiate between the two. But please be warned, sex trafficking is a horrific experience that the media simply cannot accurately portray. I am going to attempt to.

I will always put a warning in my AN's about what the chapter will contain.

I will finish Mentor, but am taking a break from it for a few days. This first chapter is short, but stay with me.

Hotch stared at the rookie cop, eyes glaring at the young man as he was patched up by the paramedics. He was bleeding from him temple, blood pouring down and staining his uniform, his eye swollen shut, and his hand already in a splint. But Hotch did not give a damn about any of his injures, the "officer" had done someting unforgiveable. He had let Hotch down and most importantly put an agent's life in danger.

"Where is she?" Hotch spoke after a good five minutes of staring at the cop. His voice was ice and pure hatred seemed to drip from every word spoken. The officer looked away, too afraid to make eye contact with the senior agent. "Where is she?" Hotch growled again.

Adam Tazo's heart was racing. He had failed and he knew it, but now, with the FBI breathing down his neck he was utterly terrified. He would take the beating he got again before he had to go through anymore of this.

"Look at me," The commanding voice seemed to give Tazo no option and he raised his eyes to meet Agent Hotchner's. "Where is Agent Jareau?"

"I.. I don't know." His voice shook.

"You were assigned to protect her, go with her. We found you two miles away from where we found her badge. What happened?"

Tazo swollowed and began speaking hoping he didn't start shaking. "We.. we were driving, I was planning on taking her to the ER like I was ordered to. We parked in the parking garage and I got out to come help her. By the time I got to her side she was unconscious, I was about to take off her seatbelt when I heard footsteps behind me. The next thing I know I am in the back of the SUV, lying next to her. Her eyes are closed but she is breathing, my head hurts." Tazo reached up and winced when he touched the bleeding mess on his head. "They thought I was still unconscious when they dumped me in the park.."

"You left her? You knew she was seriously injured and you didn't do anything?" Hotch hissed knowing this wasen't the rookie's fault, but unable to control his emotions. "You let them think you were asleep, you let them take her! She is on her own now and we have no idea what is wrong with her!"

"I.. I am sorry."

Hotch didn't bother to say anything, instead he picked up his phone and called his trusted source. "Garica," He even amazed himself at how calm his tone had become. "Get everyone here now. JJ's missing." His own heart dropped at his voice, "JJ's missing."


	2. Guilt

A/N: I have zero confidence in my writing abilities and it is taking every ounce of strength in me not to delete the first chapter. But I am forcing myself to leave it up. That and because after chapter one, this story has already been "favorited" three times :)!

I am writing from my heart here, the story is not going to win any awards, but I write what I feel, and honestly today as I write this, I feel so depressed about what happened. In no way do I feel sorry for myself, just the fact that slavery still exists.

I am sure if you pay close attention, you can see the hell that is trafficking. I will do my best to be descriptive as I can without crossing that line.

Thank you all for your reviews:

The man chewed nervously on his fingernails as he sat in the passenger seat of the red pickup truck a gun sat in his other hand, ready to use if necessary; he just hoped it wouldn't come to that. He didn't want to hurt anyone, yet alone kill an FBI agent.

He honestly wasn't sure how he had found himself in this position, an accomplice to the kidnapping of a federal agent. Kidnapping and so much more; all because he wanted a high. He had agreed to grab the girl in exchange for the white gold; and he had gotten what he had been promised. The price though was so much higher, six months ago, he had destroyed the life of a perfectly innocent person, and tonight he would make it right.

He took a deep breath, and placed the gun in his glove box before swallowing, and heading directly for the Anchorage FBI field office. He had passed the building numerous times in his thirty something years, and never once had it seemed as intimidating as it did now. He almost turned around when he saw the symbol on the building's entrance identifying it as one of the most powerful, respected agencies in the country, if not the world.

He also knew that once he walked in those doors, he would not be walking out again. He had said goodbye to his family, promising his seventeen year old son that this would be done. It was his seventeen year old son, Sean, who had given him the ultimatum. Sean, had been caught in the middle when the young man had discovered the blonde woman locked in his father's basement.

Either his father went to the FBI, or Sean did. To save his son, to do what he knew was right, he had agreed and told his son to leave the house. That Sean did not need to be anywhere near what was about to happen. Sean and agreed to leave, if his father agreed to keep his promise.

So, at 1:23 that very afternoon, he stood outside the building and pulled out his phone. A text message "I'm here, love you. Dad." was sent, and with a final look at the previous conversations, he turned the thing off and walked into the building.

Annie Scott rubbed her eyes in pure exhaustion. She needed to get home before she fell asleep on her desk. Come to think of it, it might be better just to sleep for a bit at her desk before getting on the icy roads. She debated it for a half a second before coming to her senses and almost laughing at the thought of it.

She desperately needed a good night's sleep, her case wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Her main suspect was dead, so there would be no more danger to new victims; now she just had to track down his previous victims, if any were still alive. And that could wait.

She gathered her belongings and flipped off the switch to her office, making sure she had her keys before heading towards the elevator. "Leaving already, Agent Scott?" She heard the receptionist ask.

"Already? Yes, goodnight!" Normally, Annie was known as the "social worker" of the group. Always ready to help, friendly, happy, willing to joke and have fun, but knew how and when to get serious. "I'll see you tomorrow, Martha." She waved a hand to the older woman but stopped when she saw Martha look her direction, her phone resting against her ear.

"Annie." She hung up the phone. "A man just walked in downstairs, he claims to know the whereabouts of Agent Jareau." Martha looked up at Annie. "He brought her badge to prove it."

And just like that Annie knew she would not be going home tonight; instead she might have a chance to bring home a missing FBI agent. And suddenly her exhaustion didn't matter anymore, she had a job to do.


	3. Alaska

**A/N: I am so sorry, I did not realize that when I posted these updates that the AN was not separated from the story. I went back and read the stories and wow I apologize for any confusion. In case anyone hasn't picked up on it yet, I write short chapters. It is so much easier for me to do that and that way I can update (almost) daily.**

**If you prefer for me to post less frequently but with longer chapters, or try for daily with shorter chapters, either way let me know. I know this has been slow to start, but stay with me, it'll pick up pretty quick!**

**I am iffy on this chapter if I like it or not, but am posting it anyway! Going out on a limb for me :)**

**Enjoy!**

Alaska, why in the name of all that was good had some agent from Alaska called and pulled him out of a briefing, stating that the matter was of the utmost importance. Hotch couldn't begin to guess- well actually he could- but he refused to have any false hope. False hope had almost destroyed him, lead after lead about his missing agent had turned up nothing.

He had long since lost count of how many tips and leads had been called in regarding JJ; none of which panned out. And as much as it killed him to admit it-JJ's case was cold. It had only been six months, but he knew the odds, and while he would never say it to his team, deep down he knew JJ was dead.

That day, the day she was taken, Hotch had been worried about her. She looked awful, pale with dark circles under her eyes. He hadn't seen her eat anything lately, and despite his concern, she brushed him off. Until he found her vomiting over a toilet in the bathroom. He ignored the fact that the bathroom was a woman's room and rushed to her side alarmed at how hot her skin felt to his touch

"JJ." It wasn't a question, but a statement.

"Hotch, I just found out." She whispered, sitting back on her knees, leaning against him. She was exhausted, and the vomiting had zapped the remaining energy from her body. Normally, she would be embarrassed by the need for help, but at this point she didn't care.

"Alright. We will talk about it later, right now, you need to get to the ER." He didn't have the heart to get mad at her, not now, not when she was so sick. He had thought for sure it was the flu- and judging by her symptoms the flu still matched; but apparently JJ was thinking something else.

"Will doesn't know yet," He helped her to stand, surprised at how weak she was. And for a brief second, he considered calling for an ambulance. He knew full well that JJ would not be able to take herself.

"Okay, JJ." He searched his pocket for his keys. "Let's get you to the hospital."

In the end, it was that all the SUV's were gone, and only one rookie cop was available. Hotch had placed JJ in the cop's car and ordered the young man to get JJ to the hospital ASAP. That Hotch would be meeting them there.

JJ never made it. And night after night, nightmare after nightmare the questions and guilt buried into him. What had happened to her? Why her? Six months of blame and guilt was starting to have its affect on him, he wasn't sure how much more of it he could take.

And as he picked up the call from Alaska, little did he know that today, after six months he would find out the answer to his question. What had happened to his agent and her unborn child.

"Agent Hotchner." His voice withheld any hint of emotion, he couldn't think of JJ at the moment, he had a job to focus on.

"Agent Hotchner," a female voice on the other end. "This is Agent Annie Scott, from Anchorage." He could hear the hesitation in her voice. "I am calling to inform you that I have a break in Agent Jareau's case."

"A possible lead, Agent Scott?" He had gone through this too many times, this type of call was nothing new, nothing to get his hopes up. And who was this agent that suddenly got a major break?

She paused and Hotch heard what sounded like the beeping of hospital monitors, then Annie's tone of voice turn comforting. "Go ahead," He knew she wasn't talking to him, but his interest had peaked significantly. "

And when he heard it, when he heard what was said next, he collapsed into his desk chair, he recognized the voice he had known he would never hear again.

"Hotch?"


	4. Basement

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed, I appreciate it so much. Second, this chapter has some foul language in it, just a warning. If anyone has any questions about trafficking, please feel free to PM me.**

Sean stood at the entrance to his father's basement, pacing back and forth; a hot cup of tea in his hands. It had just been a few minutes ago that he had confronted his father, told him that he knew about the woman in the basement. And at seventeen years old, he had made the toughest choice of his life, he had given his father an ultimatum. And to Sean's surprise, his father had agreed under one condition- Sean had to leave the house.

He had watched his father, his former hero jump into the pickup truck and head off, he knew he would have to leave soon as well; the FBI would undoubtedly be at the house before the evening was over.

But he couldn't. He couldn't just leave her; not in the condition she was in. And who was to say his father was really doing as he promised? Sean shook his head, anger suddenly took over him. That bastard! How long had his father been pretending to be a good guy; to be a man? All while keeping a young woman locked in his basement. To hell with him, with his fake life, Sean knew he was on his own now; that regardless if his father went to the FBI or not, Sean would not be seeing him for a long while.

So with a deep breath, he grabbed a blanket and opened the door to the basement. It was pure coincidence that he had found the woman, Sean lived with his mother and rarely visited his father but had stopped by after school to pick up some old hockey equipment. His father hadn't been home and after looking everywhere, he had decided to try the basement.

Now, he was here; all because his friend needed a hockey mask.

"Ma'am?" He called out to her, not wanting to frighten her like he had the first time. "Ma'am, it's alright, I am not going to hurt you." He promised, slowing his pace as he neared her. She sat in the exact same spot he had found her in, huddled in a corner. "Here," He held out his hands to show he meant no harm. "I just bought you some tea and a blanket." He crouched down next to her, holding the items out but not forcing them upon her.

The look in her eyes made him feel secure in his decision not to leave her. She was tired, she was scared, she almost looked like she had given up. And for a brief moment he wondered if he should just take her to the hospital himself?

Reality quickly caught up to him and he realized the last thing he wanted was to be caught in the car with a missing woman. That would not go well, so his only options were to call emergency services or wait until his father contacted the FBI.

He thought about it, and looked at the woman, how she was bleeding and her eyes couldn't seem to focus. His high school health class had recently gone over head injuries and he knew they were serious and was beginning to wonder if this woman had one. She wasn't talking to him, wasn't even making eye contact but then again that could be a result of fear instelled by his father.

"Ma'am," He stood up and cringed as she shrank back even further into the wall. "Ma'am, if it's alright with you, I'd like to help you upstairs." He didn't suspect any answer so he continued. "My name is Sean and I am sorry for what has happened to you, but I want to get you help." He lowered his voice again. "I promise I am not going to hurt you, but it's too cold in this basement for you and when I call the police, the last thing I want is them to find you in even worse condition. May I help you upstairs, ma'am?" He held out his hand, and waited for her to take it.

He watched as she licked her lips and then a thought occurred to him. There was no way she was going to trust him, so he reached into his pocket and handed her his cell phone, giving her control.

"I have no intentions of hurting you, ma'am, I just want to help."

He stood back up, "Can I get your name?"

If he had been suprised by finding a woman in his father's basement, what she said next almost floored Sean. "Jennifer. Jennifer Jareau."

An FBI agent, his father had kidnapped a fucking FBI agent. Sean had recognized her name almost immediately, after all she had been all over the news. Even some of his classmates had talked about the case, who the hell would kidnap a federal agent? Apparently, his father would.

Now, he stood outside his home waiting for what was sure to be an onslaught of cops. He had made the call two minutes ago and promised the operator that he would be waiting outside for the first responders.

He had not been able to convince Jennifer to let him help her out, so when the shaking stopped and Jennifer began to vomit he made the decision not to wait for his father, and he called 911. He had told the operator exactly what he knew, that he had discovered the missing FBI agent, alive, in his father's basement and that his father had gone to turn himself in; but he wasn't sure if he would be back.

He was standing there now five minutes later, when two squad cars pulled up, no lights no sirens, an ambulance came up behind them.

"You don't believe me, do you?" He spoke as soon as the first cop stepped out of the car.

"That you've got a woman locked in your basement? And you willingly called us to report it? No, but I am required by law to check anyway." The older officer grabbed Sean by the collar. "C'mon kid, show me where this woman is."

Sean wanted nothing more than to criticize this officer, how dare he not believe him! Of course, Sean had had his run ins with the law, truancy mainly. And in a small town, one run in with one officer tended to spread to the entire department.

Knowing that Jennifer needed the officer, more than the officer needed Sean's mouth, he kept it shut and lead the officer to the basement door. "Look, she is beyond terrified." Sean explained.

"Sure." The officer patted Sean on the shoulder, almost laughing as he descended the stairs. The call out itself was a damn joke, a waste of his time. Like hell there was a woman, let alone the missing FBI agent locked in the basement. Once he had done his glance over, he would take Sean in for a drug test.

All that came crashing down however, when Officer Oliver shined his light beam right into the blue eyes of Agent Jennifer Jareau. He knew without a doubt that the agent had been found and as he approached her he got on his radio. "Get the medics in here now, I need a supervisor." he paused. "We need the FBI."


	5. Found

**A/N: Thank you for staying with me on this. I appreciate every single one of you. **

JJ flinched as she saw the giant man with a gun squat down in front of her. She saw his lips moving,saw a design on the sleeve on his thick winter jacket, saw a gold badge, but none of it seemed to register. She had long since learned to disassociate herself whenever a strange person, especially a man came this close to her.

She didn't blink when he reached for her, didn't move until she watched him take his coat off and then she shrunk further back against the concrete wall, preparing herself for what she was sure to come.

But it didn't, and instead she felt something she hadn't in a long time. She felt warm, and upon opening her eyes she saw that the man's jacket had been placed over her bare shoulders. He wasn't undressing himself, wasn't trying to strip away the blanket covering her legs, he wasn't yelling at her. He was simply standing in front of her, whispering softly.

So she slowly lifted her gaze and began listening to what the man was saying to her.

"Ma'am" Oliver looked down to see the woman staring at him, making eye contact for the first time since he had found her. He didn't want to scare and was silently pleading that a female officer would be dispatched. "Ma'am, my name is Officer William Oliver, I'm with the Anchorage police department. We're going to get you some help, alright?" He tried to sound as reassuring as he could but knew that regardless of what he tried, she would most likely still be afraid of him.

"Okay.." It was small, a small tiny almost whisper like sound, but it was an ackonowldment none the less, and Oliver couldn't help but smile.

She was without a doubt, the missing FBI agent. He knew it and despite his tough man exterior, he could almost cry at finding her alive. Once the medics made their way down the stairs, Oliver would rush up to his car and pull up the missing person poster on her. She was the one who every officer, every soldier, every fed wanted to find. Everyone knew what she looked like, her picture flashed across every news outlet, it was posted in every station. And now, she was sitting in front of him.

"Oliver!" He heard the familiar voice of Tony, one of the medics, shout down the stairs.

"Jesus, man. Keep it down." Oliver turned back to JJ. "It's alright, it is just the medics, they won't hurt you." He reassured. "Tony, she has nothing on underneath that jacket. She is responsive but very wary."

Tony nodded. "It's alright Oliver, I've got it." His coworker patted the cop on the shoulder before slowing his pace considerably as he approached the woman.

"Ma'am, my name is Tony, I am a paramedic. Is it alright if I check you over and take you to the hospital?"

Oliver smiled when he saw the woman nod and allow Tony to help her. Now, came the part where he got to inform his supervisor of his discovery.

JJ watched as more men began to flood into her basement, men wearing uniforms, talking about her as if she wasn't there. Even Tony, the person who had promised to help her, had backed away and was now engrossed in conversation with the growing crowd.

She could hear them, kind of. It was hard to see them though and she felt her heart rate picking back up. Maybe it was a trick, maybe her dream hadn't come true. She hadn't been rescued, the kid hadn't called the cops, but instead simply sold her to another pack of animals.

"Hon?" A woman's voice quickly snapped JJ out of her trance and she looked up to see another woman, "we are going to take you to a hospital now, alright?" The woman paused for a second. "I think I know who you are but can you tell me your name?"

JJ looked at the woman, brown hair, blue eyes, another stranger. She wasn't going to say anything, not if she valued her life.

The woman seeing the victim was too afraid to speak, did something completely against her training. "Agent Jareau?"

****And that was what confirmed it for Annie, the blonde woman looked up, almost automatically. "That's what I thought. Agent, my name is Annie Scott." She slowly reached into her pocket and pulled out a badge handing it to JJ. "And I am here to bring you home."


	6. Safe

**A/N: In case you haven't noticed, I tend to write a lot of fic from different perspectives. I think it helps expand the world and imagination behind just the main characters! A lot of my stories will be like this. Thanks for reading, I love seeing reviews, it really makes me day! **

The older nurse sighed as she glanced in at her most recent arrival, a young woman who had been apparently rescued from a dreadful situation. While Maggie was not entirely sure what had transpired, she knew one thing for sure, it was big.

The small ER was crawling with police and FBI, her patient's room was guarded inside and out by armed security- nobody got inside without proper identification. Not even Maggie- the damn charge nurse. It was frustrating, she needed to care for her patient but being hassled or stared at every time she walked into the private room was becoming more than annoyance.

The woman, a pretty, blonde had not spoken since her arrival nearly an hour ago. She hadn't made a sound, hadn't made eye contact, hadn't fought anyone, she was simply there. And for a bit, Maggie had worried that the young lady was possibly catatonic, or suffering a schizophrenic break. It wasn't common, but Maggie had seen it where some of her mentally ill patients, mostly those with schizophrenia had put themselves into almost statues positions and remained that way for hours at a time.

Yet, with the surge of law enforcement, Maggie quickly pushed the thought of her head and focused on the fact she knew, her patient had been rescued from hell. And now Maggie realized was the time to make sure this woman knew she was safe.

So, armed with a fruit smoothie she approached the room and nodded at the guard before entering slowly and quietly.

"Jennifer? I am just coming to check on you." She smiled as she looked at the woman, the woman who looked so lost in the large bed. And for the first time in her career, Maggie was at a loss for words. "I brought you something to drink, it's a fruit smoothie." She held out the smoothie and grinned when her patient reached for it.

"Can I get you anything, hon? Are you in pain?" Realistically, Maggie knew he had to be, her injuries were severe but not life threatening. A few broken ribs, and a broken ankle, on top of a concussion. When Jennifer didn't answer, Maggie took a seat next to her. Her shift was over but Maggie couldn't leave, not yet.

"I told you earlier, my name is Maggie, I am one of the charge nurses here.I am going to guess you probably do not want to talk right now, so I am going to talk, alright? You are at a hospital in Anchorage, Alaska right now, and you have some injuries that need to be treated. Nothing major but we don't want to leave you in pain." She stopped talking when she noticed that Jennifer had looked up at her, and seemed to be actively listening. "Are you in pain, Jennifer?" She questioned, wanting to hit herself for not asking earlier.

Jennifer responded, she shook her head and quietly whispered "No."

"Do you need anything?" Maggie decided to press forward, delighted that she had gotten one word out of her patient.

"Can I help you?" Maggie nearly jumped when she heard the voice of Annie Scott enter the room. The FBI agent had been very direct when Jennifer had arrived at the hospital that no visitors were allowed.

"I am just sitting with her," Maggie explained, watching the FBI agent get closer to the pair.

"How is she doing?" Annie glanced over at JJ and reached into her pocket pulling out her cell phone.

"She.. she is right here." Both women turned around when they heard JJ speak, both shocked. "I can hear you, quit talking about me like I am not here."

Annie grinned. "Agent Jareau, it's nice to hear your voice."

"Agent?" Maggie looked back at Annie. "Wait.." And then it occurred to her, this patient this woman in her care was not just some person, this was Jennifer Jareau. The Jennifer Jareau that had been reported missing six months ago. Holy shit.

"Agent Jareau, I think it's time we make a very important phone call, don't you?" She dialed Agent Hotchner's number and pressed it to her ear.

Five minutes later, she kneeled in front of JJ. "Agent, would you like to speak to Agent Hotchner?"

The light that suddenly appeared in her eyes surprised both women in the room, and Maggie wiped a tear from her eye.

JJ nodded and reached for the phone her hands shaking from the nerves. What was she going to say to him? Would he be mad at her? Upset, angry? Was it okay to talk to him? She had so many emotions running through her mind that she wasn't sure what to do. She swallowed and licked her lips as the beeping from the machines began to increase signaling her nervousness at the entire situation.

"Agent, you're safe now," She nearly jumped when she felt Maggie grab her hand. "Go ahead, talk to him."

JJ looked at the phone and then did something she hadn't done in six months- she felt safe, she felt relieved, she felt happy. "Hotch?"


	7. Window

**AN: Very short, but let me know if it's going okay. I am working on it!**

JJ sat and watched the conversation happening outside her hospital room, and while she couldn't hear it, she knew it was about her. Doctors and nurses and social workers stood within ear shot whispering back and forth and occasionally shooting her a glance and a fake smile.

She was trapped again and suddenly her anxiety picked up. She couldn't be here, she had to get home. She was finally free from that hell hole only to be trapped somewhere else.

The staff kept asking her all sorts of questions, if she was in pain, if she needed anything, if she was okay; and she could not ever answer. She didn't know how. She didn't know if she was in pain, if she needed anything, if she was okay- it was almost as if everything that allowed her to feel was gone.

It was a wonderful thing, a wonderfully protective thing that had occurred almost immediately following her abduction, the lack of feeling. Even with her rescue, she couldn't recall any feelings- just existing.

Or had she been rescued? The room she thought she was safe in, suddenly began warping into the dark basement she was so accustomed to, and she knew right then she hadn't been rescued it had been a dream.

But this time, something was different, her arms were only semi restrained with a weird type of plastic rope, something easily removeable. Yet what stood out the most to her was the window! It was cracked open, enough that she could slip out easily!

And now, something was igniting inside her that had not been there in a while; the will to keep living. With one more glance at the group outside her room, she slowly reached over and ripped out the IV, before she removed the remaining medical equipment from her body.

She would do it, she had to, this was her chance! She had believed she was in a hospital, had talked to Hotch, but now understood that it was just a dream or a premonition! If she could just slip out the window she could run and run to the nearest police station, or run home, or run to safety!

She heard voices yelling at her to stop, heard the basement door slam open, but she was halfway there and as she felt one of the men grab her arm, she twisted it back and away- before slipping out the window and to her long awaited freedom!

Maggie watched in horror as Jennifer made it not only to the window, but through it and outside the safety of the hospital. Immediately, the hospital went into chaos mode with the cops and the FBI agents yelling codes, and names, and orders to find nurse ran to the window, wanting to make sure that her patient was not lying on the concrete right outside, and to both her relief and horror, Jennifer was nowhere to be seen. She had escaped the hospital and most likely taken off running into the cold weather. She had a severe concussion, a damn head injury! She had most likely gotten confused and scared.

What the hell were they going to do when they found her? What the hell were they going to tell Agent Hotchner when he got there?


	8. Stars

**A/N: I was so close to deleting this story last night, so so close. But I decided to keep trying it, I am not sure I will go into detail about what happened to JJ. I kind of like writing from the perspective that we really don't know what happened. Please, let me know if I should continue this. Also, the scene about the stars is so important to me, and while it has meaning in this story, in my experince the stars are what kept me going!**

**Enjoy and please, please review. I really love reading them!**

The cold weather was comforting to JJ, it reminded her that she was free. That she could feel something, anything, even if it was the bitterly cold temperatures. Her body had given up on her, and refused to move anymore after she had fallen into the small creek. She had been able to pull herself out, but hadn't been able to move much more after she had crawled up onto the bank.

Her leg hurt, her arm hurt, and most of all, her head hurt.

In a desperate attempt to distract herself from the pain, she focused up, up at the clear sky and the stars that seemed to be shining down on her. They brought a sort of peace and comfort to the agent, gave her something to focus on.

In the background she heard voices, men calling her name, shouting for her. But JJ knew better, knew it was a trick to get her to come out of her hiding place. They were shouting for her by her title, but instead of calling back, instead of making herself known, JJ curled in on herself and easily fell into the welcoming embrace of sleep.

Hotch had no words for the emotion he was feeling right now. He was too late, and JJ was gone, again. Annie had called him, frantic, and explained that somehow, JJ had escaped out the window and presumably into the woods directly behind it.

So now he sat in the hospital room that JJ had occupied just hours before, trying to think of what to do next. Maggie had told him that the medical team believed JJ had a head injury and was confused, that they believed that she probably thought she was still trapped and had made a break for it.

Hotch could only nod as he looked out the window at the stars, the night sky as clear as he had ever seen it before. "JJ," he whispered to nobody. "Where are you?"

They had the dogs out, the helicopters, hundreds of law enforcement offices crawling every inch of the hospital and it's perimeter, and then three miles out. Hotch knew she would be found it was a matter of time, but that was it- time was against them. Again. It was cold outside, very cold, below freezing and from the nurses had told him, JJ only had a hospital gown on.

A blizzard was coming.

She couldn't have gone far, she was hurt, confused, weak. It was his saving grace, she couldn't have gone far. Unless someone had picked her up, and the an entire new ballgame opened up.

But he had learned something today he hadn't know the day before. JJ was alive, and apparently, JJ was still fighting.

He just hoped she could do it for a few more hours.

"We're coming JJ, we're here."

Six miles away, JJ slept and slept, oblivious to the snow that started to fall, to the massive search underway for her, to her falling body temperature. She was oblivious when Annie and Hotch found her body by the creek's edge and oblvious when they started CPR.

She was aware of one thing though, she was safe and she would hold onto that.


	9. Tears

**AN: I apologize for the delay! I had surgery yesterday and am just now awake enough to write a few. This chapter is short, but it sets up for a lot. Enjoy!**

She was safe, warm, and safe. And even without opening her eyes, JJ knew that. She had become so accustomed to feeling fear all the time, that when she didn't feel it, she knew she was safe. She didn't know where she was, and didn't really care but she knew she wanted to stay here, away from the evil she had become so used to. And so, even with the commands, the pleas, for her to open her eyes, JJ couldn't. She didn't want to, she was afraid that if she did that this wonderful feeling of safety, of warmth would disappear.

Adalene Connor watched her patient with concern. Agent Jennifer Jareau had been rushed up to her ICU unit a week before and had yet to regain consciousness. While the doctors had not mentioned it yet, she could tell they were all beginning to think the word "coma." Originally, she had been sedated, the staff and her family had both agreed they did not want her running off again.

But the sedation should have worn off days ago, and so far Jennifer had shown no signs of wanting to wake up. They could force her to do so that wouldn't be a problem, they just prefered her to wake up on her own. Of course, that decision had been made three days ago, now nearly a week in- Adalene was hoping they were reconsidering.

The ICU room was advanced, and allowed for families of their loved ones to stay around the clock. A full bathroom was available, including a shower and bath, a pull out couch and a flat screen TV. And right then, just as Adalene walked in, she saw one of the FBI agent's curled onto the couch, hugging a pillow.

She laughed to herself before grabbing an extra blanket and tucking the young man in. She had seen a few of them, the FBI agents. From the information she had gathered, her patient was a FBI agent who had been abducted months before and recently rescued. The group was extremely productive of this woman, guards stood outside the door at all times, and nobody got in the room without prior clearance. Apparently, even a badge wasn't enough and the FBI had requested the names of every employee on the ICU staff to run a background track. They were serious about protecting this one.

THis one, Adalene realized her mistake as soon as she thought it. "Jennifer." She said out loud, and walked to the bed. She carefully rearranged the sheets and pillows before grabbing a soft towel and washing her patient's face. "Jennifer, I know you can hear me, hon. It is time to wake up now. You are safe, nobody is going to hurt you anymore." Adalene continued as she slowly bathed her patient, taking the utmost care to be extremely gentle. "There is a young man here who seems to care an awful lot about you, he is sleeping on the couch right now." When the heart rate monitor picked up a tick, Adalene continued. "I think his name is Aaron, and he has not left your side for more than a few hours. He is determined not to let you go again. So how about today, in a few hours, you open those eyes for us, alright?"

Adalene knew it was wild shot, to tell a patient to open her eyes in a few hours, but Adalene was one of the few who truly believed in talking to her patients. She left the room, satisfied that JJ was stable, was not going anywhere and was clean.

Eight hours later, Adalene sighed as she stuffed her pen into her scrub pockets. It was finally time to go home, she just had to do her bedside rounds with her replacement.

"This is Jennifer, she goes by JJ." Adalene explained as the two nurses stood outside the door, the guard eying them carefully.

"Still nothing?" The other nurse asked, obviously have taken care of JJ before.

Adalene shook her head. "Nothing." It was a bit of a disappointment, Adalene really thought today would be the day, JJ opened her eyes. And when she entered the room, her smile stretched as far as it could go as she rushed to the woman's bed side.

"JJ! Open your eyes hon," She placed her hands gently on JJ's shoulders and was not prepared for the fight she got. In an instant, her patient had shot up in bed and was fighting, throwing punches, desperately trying to protect herself the only way she knew how.

"JJ!" Adalene shouted, getting the attention of four other nurses who rushed inside along with the guard. "JJ, look at me, look at me!" Adalene tried, her heart breaking as she saw the fear in her patient's eyes. She didn't want to do it, to sedate her to stop the fighting but she wasn't sure how long she could continue to allow JJ to fight. The woman was surprisingly strong and was not hearing their commands.

"JJ!" The lone male voice in the room, instantly stopped the fighting. Adalene looked to see Aaron at JJ's side, his hand stroking the blonde hair. "JJ, it's okay, you're safe." He reassured, gently forcing JJ's hand down, and pushing her back down in bed.

"Hotch?" JJ's voice was soft, scared as she seemed to finally make eye contact with him.

"I'm here, JJ, I'm here." He whispered, squeezing her hand and wiping tears away as they fell down her cheek. "I'm here."


	10. Please

**AN: Again, this is short and I have come to see that I just write short chapters. Yes, at the the end of this chapter, I am out of character for a second, but think about what JJ has gone thru and it might make more sense:**

Hotch ran his hand over his chin for what seemed like the umpteenth time that morning. It had only been a few hours ago that he had been startled awake by multiple voices yelling, machines beeping, general chaos. Nurses were trying desperately to calm a fighting and only semi conscious JJ who only appeared to becoming more agitated, more frightened.

He hadn't even thought about it and had immediately jumped to her side, caressing her hair, grabbing her fists and gently forcing them down so that she couldn't hurt anyone, including herself.

"JJ, I'm here, you're safe," He wasn't sure how many times he repeated it, but slowly she had stopped fighting, enough for him to let go of her and wipe the tears away. It killed him seeing her like this, so scared. so… lost.

He had watched as she had calmed, and slowly drifted off back to sleep, the nurses reassuring him that she was okay, that her body was exhausted and recovering. He had nodded and watched the the doctor came in and checked JJ over, satisfied with the promise that JJ was recovering.

So now, hours after JJ had first woken up, Hotch stood over her watching her sleep. He had wiped the tears from her eyes as she slept, shushed her when she cried and talked to her to reassure her that he was had refused to allow any discussion of JJ's case in the room, if an agent or officer needed to talk with them, it had to be outside the protective ICU walls.

It was a deep sigh that brought his attention back to JJ, her eyes were slowly fluttering open. It was a very small thing he had noticed but everytime JJ opened her eyes, he saw more of the beautiful blue and less of the grey that seemed to have taken them.

"Hi JJ," He whispered, making sure she could see him, doing everything in his power not to frighten her.

"Hotch?" She seemed surprised every time she woke up, but this time, Hotch noticed, she seemed more and more aware. She wasn't panicked, or frightened, instead something else scared him- her voice. It was completely and totally flat, with no emotion.

"Hi, JJ. Welcome back."

"Hotch." He felt his heart drop and he knew what she said next would forever haunt him. "Next time, let me die."


	11. Survivor

**AN: I am not going to lie, I was beyond livid when I saw that a part of my story had been essentially copied and pasted into another story.. like literally word for word on one part of it. Took me a while to calm down and as I did, I realized something about this story. Yes, I want to write about human trafficking, but this isn't the story to do it. I have not gone into any detail describing trafficking in this story- so I am changing it a tiny bit. I am doing this so that I can put my attention on another story that really will focus on trafficking. I have to admit, this one is really hard for me to write, I am bored with it. I am doing my best to keep it going, but am more than likely going to end this story here. I apologize if yall don't like this, but instead of focusing on the abduction, I like the idea of this story just focusing on the moments after her rescue.**

"JJ.." It was the last thing Hotch had expected to hear from the agent. "JJ.." He didn't know what else to say, or what else to do, he was speechless.

"I.." She started and Hotch could tell she was barely holding back tears. And suddenly, he knew what to do. JJ didn't need a federal agent in her hospital room, she needed a friend, she needed her family. And right now, all she had was him.

And so with extreme caution, he walked slowly over to her bed, his arms slightly open. He didn't want to scare her anymore than she already was, he wanted to do the opposite. He wanted her to know so much, but most importantly, that she was safe. So, instead of talking, he got as close to her as he dared, then slowly, gently wrapped his arms around her and waited for it to happen.

It took a few moments, longer then Hotch expected but finally, he felt JJ relax in his embrace, and then start to cry. At first, it was just a few tears, dampening his white shoulder, but none too soon he felt the shaking and sobbing begin.. and he simply let her do it.

He let JJ, his agent, cry into his arms, sob on his shoulder, shake as he held her and brushed her hair. He didn't speak, didn't say a word, and when the shaking and sobbing stopped a good thirty minutes later, Hotch realized JJ had cried herself to sleep. He tried to move her, pull her away so he could try and get her comfortable, but at the movement, he noticed a hitch in her breathing. He couldn't do it, couldn't move her, so for the next three hours he sat just like that, JJ leaning against him as she slept on his shoulder.

He briefly wondered how long it had been since she had actually slept. Not with the aid of medication, sickness or injury, just slept. And by the looks of it, it had been a long time. It was at the four hour mark a nurse walked in and gently helped Hotch pull JJ away from his shirt. Together, they managed to get JJ in a comfortable position, allowing Hotch to stand and stretch his back.

And when he did, he managed to get his first real look at JJ. Adalene had pulled back the sheets just enough to reset the bed sheets, leaving JJ in her night gown. Hotch, couldn't help but look and when he did, he knew he would never forget the image in front of him.

JJ was small, she had been even since before her abduction. But now.. now she was beyond small. She was sickly looking. The extra small hospital gown seemed to swallow her small frame, and even though he couldn't see, he could bet that her ribs were prominently showing.

The gown went down to her knees, and Hotch knew the nurse knew the injuries underneath. There was no purpose for him to have to know, Annie had taken charge of the investigation allowing Hotch to be with JJ. Annie knew the injuries JJ had, the ones under the gown, and the non urgent injuries that Hotch had not been informed about. Annie, had, however told Hotch that his worst suspicions were true, that JJ had been sexually assaulted, just like they had all suspected.

But behind all the injuries, behind the monitors, behind everything, Hotch saw one thing. He saw JJ. He saw his agent, his friend, the woman who had been so strong through so much, and even as he watched her sleep in the hospital bed; he saw not a victim but a survivor.

A survivor, it was time to treat her like a survivor- not a victim. She had done the work, now it was time to recongize her for the hero she was.

And as long as it took, Hotch promised to be there.


End file.
